• Birth Certificate
• Immunization Card
• Report Card
• Copy of IEP (if applicable)
• Proof of Residence (utility bill, mortgage documents, tax receipts, or military housing orders)
• Name and complete address of previous school
• Name and phone number for emergency contact (other than parent)

The school nurse is able to administer certain over-the-counter (OTC) medications. These OTC medications are limited to ibuprofen, acetaminophen and triple antibiotic ointment.  You will receive a Health Information Exchange Consent form included in a packet of information distributed during the first few weeks of school. Please complete this consent form if you’d like the school nurse to administer the aforementioned medications (assuming medication is indicated after a thorough assessment). If the school nurse is unavailable, OR other medications are required during the school day, the medicines MUST be accompanied by a “Physician’s Recommendations for Medication” form. This form is available in the health office.  Any medication that isn’t accompanied by an MD order will be confiscated. This includes cough drops, inhalers and medications in unmarked containers.

Please do not send your child to school with medication if you don’t have the completed “Physician’s Recommendations for Medication” form on file in the health office. Without the form, a parent is able to come to school and administer the medication in person. Children who are taking antibiotics for impetigo, strep throat, and certain other bacterial infections, should be on them for a FULL 24 HOURS (longer for Whooping Cough) before returning to school to prevent the spread of those infections. If you are uncertain, ask your school nurse. Also, try to schedule antibiotic doses outside of school hours.

Criterion for attending a reward assembly, event, or activity (does not include monthly grade level assemblies)

Reward assemblies/activities will be offered to students who meet all of the following criteria:

• a citizenship grade point average of 2.5 for the current quarter
• no suspensions for the current semester
• less than  three detentions and/or Friday Schools for the current semester

Criterion for performers in Instrumental Music

Students performing (both on and off campus) in Instrumental Music related activities must meet the following criteria:

• Academic grade point average of 2.0 for the most recent reporting period
• Citizenship grade point average of 2.5 for the most recent reporting period
• Fewer than 10 days of unexcused absences in the current semester
• Fewer than three detentions or Friday Schools for the current semester
• No suspensions for the current semester

Criterion for performers in the Variety Show

Students performing in the Dana Variety Show must meet the following criteria:

• Fewer than three detentions for the current semester
• No Friday Schools for the current semester
  
• No suspensions for the current semester

Academic and Citizenship grades are distributed to Dana Middle students eight times during a school year.

1. 1^st Mid-Quarter Progress Report – represents work completed during the first four weeks of school. A progress report containing individual assignment scores is distributed to students by Language Arts, Math, and Social Studies. These reports need to be returned to the teacher with a parent signature. Mid-Quarter Progress Reports are not generated for PE, Science, or Elective classes.
   
   
2. 1^st Quarter Progress Report – represents work completed during the first nine weeks of school. This is only a progress report and is not recorded in your student academic history. It is distributed in November. This progress report is distributed to students and contains grades for ALL classes.
   
   
3. 2^nd Mid-Quarter Progress Report – represents work completed during the first four weeks of the second quarter. A progress report containing individual assignment scores is distributed to students by Language Arts, Math, and Social Studies. These reports need to be returned to the teacher with a parent signature. Mid-Quarter Progress Reports are not generated for PE, Science, or Elective classes.

4. 1^st Semester Report Card – represents work completed during the first eighteen weeks of school. This is a final grade. It is mailed home by the school district in February.
   
   
5. 3^rd Mid-Quarter Progress Report – represents work completed during the first four weeks of the third quarter. A progress report containing individual assignment scores is distributed to students by Language Arts, Math, and Social Studies. These reports need to be returned to the teacher with a parent signature. Mid-Quarter Progress Reports are not generated for PE, Science, or Elective classes.

6. 3^rd Quarter Progress Report – represents work completed during the first nine weeks of the second semester. This is only a progress report and is not recorded in your student academic history. It is distributed in April. This progress report is distributed to students and contains grades for ALL classes.

7. 4^th Mid-Quarter Progress Report – represents work completed during the first four weeks of the fourth quarter. A progress report containing individual assignment scores is distributed to students by Language Arts, Math, and Social Studies. These reports need to be returned to the teacher with a parent signature. Mid-Quarter Progress Reports are not generated for PE, Science, or Elective classes.

8. 2^nd Semester Report Card – represents work completed during the last eighteen weeks of school (the second semester). This is a final grade. It is mailed home by the school district in June/July.
   

Please view our calendar for progress report and report card distribution dates for the current school year.

A "GPA job-aid" with visual diagrams representing relationships between progress reports and report cards is available for download. This document was distributed to parents along with the first progress report.

We have additional FAQs on understanding and calculating GPAs and Honor Roll.

• We have a variety of tours and parent events
• Our GATE Department webpage provides a description of our GATE/Seminar program
• Our Electives Program web page provides details on the variety of electives offered at Dana Middle School
• The Digital Toolkit educates parents on digital tools available to both parents and students
• The Dana Association section of the website educates parents on how they can support their students at school

In addition, we will be conducting a “new student orientation” for all incoming students in August. The orientation provides both parents and students with an opportunity to explore the campus, meet teachers, and ask questions. Additional information will be mailed home to families in early August.

Volunteering at Dana is a great way to stay connected with your child's education. Volunteerism can take many forms and we encourage parents to participate in a variety of ways.

Suzanne Lindemann is our point of contact for the volunteer program at Dana Middle. Please email her directly at slindemann@sandi.net.

IMPORTANT: The SDUSD has implemented a new mandatory procedure for processing volunteers. The purpose of this process is to better ensure the safety of all students. 

Volunteer participation is classified into four different categories.

CATEGORY A
Volunteers or guests who enter a school for a one-time event. This person has no unsupervised exposure or contact with children. Typical examples could include Read Across America guest reader, Principal for a Day participant, guest/resource speaker, senior exhibition panel member or other day or guest-type activity.

Screening requirements:

• Be approved by the Dana Volunteer Coordinator
• Be able to present some form of current government-issued photo identification (driver’s license, passport, military ID, US or other government identification)
• Sign in on the district approved “Volunteer Sign-in Sheet” in the main office, which includes a criminal disclosure
• Upon approval, be required to display a volunteer identification badge to be surrendered at the conclusion of the day’s volunteer activity

CATEGORY B
Volunteers with group exposure who have little or no direct unsupervised exposure or contact with children. Typical examples could include non-classroom volunteers such as office helpers, non-classroom assistance, organized functions associated with school organizations such as PTA, school foundation, Site Council. Volunteer conditions are
typically public settings, staff or other adults can observe at all times, no solitary time with children, and always within unobstructed view.

Screening requirements:

• Be approved by the Dana Volunteer Coordinator
• Be able to present some form of current government-issued photo identification (driver’s license, passport, military ID, US or other government identification)
• Complete and submit for approval the district School Volunteer Application
  Be checked by designated site personnel against the California Department of Justice, Sexual Offender (Megan’s Law) website (http://www.meganslaw.ca.gov)
• Present a Tuberculosis clearance card
• Sign in on the district approved “Volunteer Sign-in Sheet” in the main office, which includes a criminal disclosure
• Upon approval, be required to display a volunteer identification badge to be surrendered at the conclusion of the day’s volunteer activity

CATEGORY C
Volunteers with classroom exposure, who work with children and are generally supervised by district staff. This could include direct contact with supervision. Typical examples could include tutoring, classroom reading, classroom assistance, before- and after-school programs depending upon the conditions and field trip drivers. Conditions typically are classrooms or areas where staff or other adults can observe at most times. These may occasionally include short solitary time with children and short duration of obstructed view.

Screening requirements:

• Be approved by the Dana Volunteer Coordinator
• Be able to present some form of current government-issued photo identification (driver’s license, passport, military ID, US or other government identification)
• Volunteer drivers for field trips must have a current driver’s license and provide documentation of automobile insurance coverage. (Refer to Administrative Procedures 4585 and 4587 regarding field trip requirements.)
• Complete and submit for approval the district School Volunteer Application
• Submit to a criminal background check conducted by SDUSD School Police Services to determine whether the applicant is precluded from volunteering as specified in California Education Code section 35021 et seq. In rare cases, depending upon information returned, volunteer applicants may require fingerprinting.
• Present a Tuberculosis clearance card
• Sign in on the district approved “Volunteer Sign-in Sheet” in the main office, which includes a criminal disclosure
• Upon approval, be required to display a volunteer identification badge to be surrendered at the conclusion of the day’s volunteer activity
  
  

CATEGORY D
Volunteers with unrestricted exposure, who work with children and may be unsupervised by district staff. This volunteer likely will have direct and unsupervised interaction with children. Typical examples could include volunteer walk-on coaches, senior high support personnel for athletics, off-site tutoring, mentoring, and overnight chaperones. Conditions typically could include an off-campus setting and unsupervised solitary time.

Screening requirements:

• Be approved by the Dana Volunteer Coordinator
• Be able to present some form of current government-issued photo identification (driver’s license, passport, military ID, US or other government identification)
• Complete and submit for approval the district School Volunteer Application
• Submit their fingerprints to both State and National databases – conducted by SDUSD School Police Services
• Present a Tuberculosis clearance card
• Sign in on the district approved “Volunteer Sign-in Sheet” in the main office, which includes a criminal disclosure
• Upon approval, be required to display a volunteer identification badge to be surrendered at the conclusion of the day’s volunteer activity

Depending upon the category, certain processes must be completed by district staff prior to volunteering. All volunteers will be screened annually. It may take the district two or more weeks to process the application (depending upon the category).

We are very sorry, but volunteers cannot start working with students until any required processing has been completed. Please visit the Dana office to complete the necessary paperwork.

It may take the district two or more weeks to process the application (depending upon the category).

Please visit the district website for more information about the SDUSD volunteer policy.

A job-aid with visual diagrams representing how a GPA is calculated is available for download. This document was distributed to parents along with the first progress report.

Q: What is a GPA?
A: Grade Point Average (GPA) a measure of scholastic attainment computed by dividing the total number of grade points received by the total number of credits of course work taken. GPA's are calculated every nine weeks using the most recent grades issued by your child's teacher.

Q: What types of GPA's are used at Dana? What is a Citizenship GPA?

A: Dana uses two different types of GPA's, academic and citizenship. The academic GPA represents school work. The citizenship GPA represents effort and behavior. Dana teachers use a Citizenship Rubric to determine a child's citizenship grade. A copy of the Citizenship Rubric is available for download.  An academic and citizenship grade is reported for each class.

Q: How are Term GPAs calculated?

A: Each grade is assigned a number of points. The scale below is used to determine the number of points assigned for each grade:

Academic:
A - 4.0

B - 3.0

C - 2.0

D - 1.0

F - 0.0

NOTE: Plus and minus grades represent teacher comments. They are not recorded in your child’s academic history and not part of the GPA calculation.

Citizenship

E - 4.0

G - 3.0

S - 2.0

N - 1.0

U - 0.0

Your student earns an academic and citizenship grade for each class. A GPA reflects the average of these grades. To calculate the GPA simply add up the points for each grade and divide by the seven. Read below for an explanation for why the total is divided by seven instead of six.

ACADEMY STUDENTS ONLY: Students enrolled in the Math or Language Academy elective class are the only exception to this rule. Academy students are not assigned an academic grade for this class. Therefore they divide the total number of points by six instead of seven. The citizenship grade for students in the Math/Language Academy class is calculated using the method described above.

Q: Can you provide an example?

A: Let’s assume your student earned the following academic grades on the first progress report

• Exploring Computers = B - 3 points
• English = A - 4 points
• Social Studies = B – 3 points
• Math = B – 3 points
• Physical Education = B – 3 points
• Science = C – 2 points

Simply add the points and divide by the number of credits.

• 3 + (4+4)* + 3 + 3 + 3 + 2 = 22 total points                       
• 22 total points divided by 7 credits = 3.1429
• Academic Term GPA = 3.1429

* IMPORTANT: (4+4) represents the points for English. English is counted twice because this grade represents work completed during a two hour (block) class. The sum of the points is divided by seven because the student has a total of seven credits. The student has six classes AND one of them (English) awards twice the number of credits.

The Citizenship grade is calculated using the same method shown above.

Q: Why do you divide by seven? Why not divide by six (the number of grades awarded)? Why is the grade in the English/Language Arts class worth twice as much?

A: All Dana students have a two period English/Language Arts class. The academic and citizenship grade for this class is worth twice the number of points as the other classes because it is a two period class that issues twice as many credits. Block Language Arts classes at the high school level award twice as many credits as well.

Q: Are plus and minus grades worth more or less than standard grades?

A: No. According to SDUSD policy, a student receives credit for one of the following grades: A, B, C, D, or F. The plus or minus comment is used to help the student understand how close they are to receiving a different grade. In other words, as far as GPA's are concerned, a B+ is the same as a B-.

Q: Why is GPA important?

A: The school uses academic and citizenship GPA to determine if you can participate in the following events:

• Honor Roll
• San Jose / San Francisco Trip (6th graders)
• Promotion
• Field Day
• ASB Dance
• Rewards Assemblies

We have additional FAQs on differences between progress reports and report cards and Honor Roll.